Cross-border suburbanisation around Bratislava - changing social, ethnic and architectural character of the “Hungarian suburb” of the Slovak capital

Abstract

Rajka is a village in Northwest Hungary with a special geographical location, only fifteen kilometres from Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. This settlement is an excellent example of the phenomenon of cross-border suburbanisation which means the migration of the urban population from the city to the not too distant rural area even if it is in another country. This process is transforming the original character of Rajka. There are huge differences between the lifestyles of the indigenous and the immigrant community. The autochthonous inhabitants are worried about Rajka’s fast alteration, there are considerable problems in between Hungarians and Slovaks due to language differences and a lot of tensions because of the village’s changing atmosphere, congested local traffic and the new challenges in Rajka’s educational institution. Besides the presentation of social changes, this paper focuses on the ethnic and residential ancestry of the immigrants to show new linguistic and social patterns in Rajka. On the other hand, examining the specifics of the dramatic transformation of the architectural character of this settlement is also an important element of the study.